Mar

24

Working to a deadline 8: use a system

Filed Under Editing Strategies, Productivity, Project Management | 5 Comments

© Gaye Wilson 2008
A system? Not a system! I can’t use systems!

Yes, you can. Systems are invaluable for getting stuff done. They are especially important when you are working to a deadline. They help you plan the project, they tell you what still needs to be done, and they tell you what to do next.

For instance, for the editing project I’ve been talking about in this series (I finished the project, by the way, on time, and the client was ecstatic with my work), my system was:

  • Print out all emails pertaining to the project
  • Start a file for everything related to the project
  • Keep track (see this post)
  • Use checklists
  • File all the stuff when the project is done so that I can refer to it again if necessary (for instance, if the client wants changes or disputes what we’ve agreed, or if I have a similar project in the future). 

Without the system, I don’t know where I’m up to, and I don’t know what is still to be done. Having everything in hard copy in the one place I find is much better than having to boot up my computer to find stuff.

The beauty of this is that, once you’ve figured out a system to get a particular task done, you can use that system again and again for similar tasks. Tweak the system as you go, so that it is the best system for you.

Studies have shown that people who use systems get more done.

So what systems can you come up with?

Feb

6

Good advice not just for freelancers

Filed Under Coaching, Productivity | Leave a Comment

© Gaye Wilson 2008
I’m overwhelmed. I have so many projects to do, and so little health and available minutes to do them in. And of course, everything not only piles up and up and up, but also takes far more time than I think it should. I started this blog with enthusiasm, thinking that January would be a good month to really get into the swing of blogging regularly, and look – the last time I blogged was January 24!

It’s all very discouraging.

I keep telling myself what I tell my coaching clients:

  • Take it one step at a time
  • Focus on one thing at a time
  • Do the best you can in this moment
  • Don’t let the guilt trip you up
  • Plan your schedule
  • Schedule your plan

But do I pay attention to myself? Sometimes.

So in the midst of all this angst it was really refreshing to read this very helpful blog post from FreelanceSwitch. When I read it this morning, I had an immediate response of relief. It’s okay. Just do what you can. Really take it one step at a time, and it will all eventually come together.

Breathe.

Jan

17

Working to a deadline 5: take refreshing breaks

Filed Under Editing Strategies, Productivity, Project Management | Leave a Comment

© Gaye Wilson 2008
When you are working hard on a job, especially one as physically and mentally challenging as editing or proofreading (amongst others), it really helps to take regular, refreshing breaks. I have found on this particular editing job that I stopped seeing errors after about an hour of intense concentration. Getting up, taking a walk, drinking a glass of water and maybe playing with the dog all helped when I got back to work. I would pick up the job, re-read the last paragraph I was working on, and immediately see the problem that had been eluding me.

This tip is applicable to almost everything you do. If you are a workaholic who doesn’t take breaks, your health will suffer. If you don’t take annual holidays, your health and relationships will suffer. If you have multiple tasks to do, changing to another one when you are weary of the first one is a good way to refresh yourself, and when you come back to the original one, you’ll be able to cope with it a bit better.

 

Jan

14

Corkboard Scheduler

Filed Under Productivity, Project Management, Scheduling | Leave a Comment

© Gaye Wilson 2008
After reading a post about tracking jobs on David Seah’s productivity blog, I thought about how I schedule the actions I need to take. I’ve been thinking about the best ways to do things for some time, hence this blog, and am experimenting with different strategies.

The one I’ve come up with this week is the Corkboard Scheduler.

I had a corkboard sitting idle that I’d bought for something else. I had a bunch of square paper (9x9cm or 3.5×3.5 inches). I had pins. I had index cards. I put them all together, and came up with this:

Corkboard Scheduler

Across the top are six index cards. Each one has a label. The first one is a different colour than the rest, and it represents the jobs I want to work on This Week. The remaining index cards are categories of actions in my life. I was limited to only five categories by the size of the corkboard.

The idea was this: use one piece of paper (I’m going to call them note squares – they are about the size of a Post It note) per action. Write the name of the job/action on a note square. Pin the note square under the appropriate index card category. When I plan to work on the action on a particular note square, I unpin it from the category column, and pin it in the This Week column.

This looked good.

I found that in some cases I also wrote the date the action was due at the bottom of the note square. This gave me a deadline, and allowed me to see at a glance which actions needed to be put in the This Week column. I could also write the date the note square was written, so that I can track how long it’s been on the Scheduler. If it has been on the board for months, maybe the action does not need to be taken.

The advantage of this Corkboard Scheduler for the visual thinker is the ability to see at a glance what needs to be done, and in some cases, when. The note squares under each category tell me what projects are on my plate, the ones in the This Week column give me a visual nudge that I need to work those tasks into my time for this week.

The size of the corkboard I’m using limits the number of categories I can use, and the number of actions I can pin under each category. I can only use five categories and five actions in each category. This is fine, because that means that only the most important actions appear on the board. If I have too many, I won’t be able to focus on achieving each individual victory.

If, however, I find that I have more items that need to be recorded on the Corkboard Scheduler, I can use the other side for future projects.

I’m sure this is not a new idea, but I haven’t used it before, and I’m playing around with it to see how useful it is for me.

How have you used something like this?

 

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